Mercer players, head coach Bob Hoffman remember Jibri Bryan

Jibri Bryan was remembered as a brother and a mentor by several of his Mercer teammates Wednesday night, while head coach Bob Hoffman discussed his special relationship with Bryan, calling him “the epitome of a team guy.”

Bryan was killed in downtown Macon, and several of the players and Hoffman talked about their relationships with Bryan on Wednesday night after the school held a vigil at Hawkins Arena. It was the first time the Bears had met with the media after Bryan’s death.

“I think we all just have to be together. Definitely being together with Coach and all the players and all the coaches, I think being together is the most important thing for us to deal with something like this,” sophomore Jordan Strawberry said. “That's probably the most important thing that's going to help us get through this tough time.”

Video: Jordan Strawberry discusses Jibri Bryan

Bryan was in his sixth season with the Mercer program. He redshirted his first year and then had to take a medical redshirt his second year because of an injury. He continued to battle injuries throughout his career and became one of the team's leaders last year as a junior.

This season, Bryan played in only six games because of a knee problem.

“Our team is built on more than basketball, and it always has been,” Hoffman said. “It’s about relationships, and it comes to the forefront when you're dealing with something as catastrophic as we are right now. Our guys are just hanging onto each other right now and believing in each other and looking to each other and to their faith.”

Hoffman pointed to an exchange a few weeks ago that he will remember the most about Bryan.

“He was talking about, he came over to me, and he thought he was done, that he wasn’t going to play anymore. His knee was giving out. He was telling me how much it meant to him to be a part of the team and the program, and he was thanking me for believing in him,” Hoffman said.

“And I was thanking him for believing in me, and I said, ‘Don’t give up on yourself yet, maybe you can help us the second part of the season. Maybe you can do some low impact things.’ And he said, ‘OK, Coach. I will do that.’ And we had a big hug and teared up a little bit, right over here. That was a special moment.”

Sophomore Stephon Jelks has become a leader of the team this season and said he learned how to take on that role from Bryan. Jelks, like Bryan, has dealt with his share of injuries during his time with the Bears.

“He was more of a brother to me than anything,” Jelks said. “When I first got here, he taught me the ways of the system. He taught me more than basketball, just more about life and doing the right things and stuff like that. He mentored me for the two years that I got to spend with Jibri.”

Sophomore Desmond Ringer said the players will lean on each other moving forward as they continue to deal with the loss of their teammate and leader.

“I feel like that’s all we have, and it’s what Jibri would want us to do,” Ringer said. “He’d want us to stay close to each other, grow on each other, learn from each other because that’s what we did from him. That’s what we got from him.”

Hoffman talked about Bryan's personality and perseverance as his legacy with the program.

“Just his infectious smile and how he could light up a room more than anyone else," Hoffman said. "He was always worried about me and asking how I was doing. No matter whether he was playing or not, he was for us. He was never against us. He was always for us. He was the epitome of a team guy.”

THEY SAID IT

Bob Hoffman: “I’m just grateful that I got to know him and be a part of his life. He made a difference in my life. I’m grateful for the moments that we had.”

Jordan Strawberry: “Just how funny he was. He always kept me laughing. Something that he always did, he kept pushing. As a freshman coming in, he always pushed me to be a great player. His encouragement and him in the locker room being a great team leader is something special that I will miss about him.”

Desmond Ringer: “Just knowing that he’s not going to be here the next day when we wake up. Every day, I at least talked to Jibri. He’d lift me up about something, if I was going through something he’d lift me up. If I had a question, he was always there. So just knowing he’s not going to be there is the toughest thing, not only for me but for all of us.”

Cory Kilby: “The best way we think we can handle it is to stay together and remember the positive things and be happy that we got to spend time with him, and that’s what we’re trying to do. Jibri was probably the best leader I’ve been around, so I learned a lot from him. He would always encourage me, so one thing I learned was to encourage others because that really helped me not only as a player but as a student here. He was always happy, so I really liked that about Jibri, so I’d like to be like him in that way in that he was always happy. Be an encourager, be a leader and just enjoy life. That’s what he was about.”

Tyre Moore: “Jibri was one of the highest-character people I ever knew. Every day he worked to make himself a better person. His compassion for others, his smile he brought every day, his faith that he had day in and day out, that’s something I can use the rest of my life. He was one of the most caring people about his son Jibri that I have ever seen in my life; he was always talking about him, constantly. … He was one of the best people I ever knew. If I can be anything like Jibri for the rest of my life, I’m going to be a better person.”

Jaylen Stowe: “He was kind of like that big brother for me. If I messed up or something, he’d always be there to try to help me. When my confidence was down, he would always try to pick me up. He would always just tell me, ‘Just stay confident in yourself no matter what and just work hard every day, and it will pay off.’ He was a true leader and a true teammate. He was always smiling no matter what. He kept us focused. Even when he was out, he was always with us every day. He was just a great guy and everyone loves him.”

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 10:50 PM with the headline "Mercer players, head coach Bob Hoffman remember Jibri Bryan."